Very Brief Bio

W. Kamau Bell is a critically acclaimed sociopolitical comedian and host of the Emmy Award winning CNN docu-series United Shades of America with W. Kamau Bell. Kamau’s has a book with the easy to remember title The Awkward Thoughts of W. Kamau Bell: Tales of a 6' 4", African American, Heterosexual, Cisgender, Left-Leaning, Asthmatic, Black and Proud Blerd, Mama's Boy, Dad, and Stand-Up Comedian. Kamau has hosted three critically acclaimed podcasts: Kamau Right Now!, Politically Re-Active, and Denzel Washington is The Greatest Actor of All Time Period. Kamau’s first comedy special, Semi-Prominent Negro premiered on Showtime. The New York Times called Kamau “the most promising new talent in political comedy in many years.”

Brief Bio

W. Kamau Bell is a sociopolitical comedian and host of the Emmy Award winning CNN docu-series, United Shades of America with W. Kamau Bell. Kamau’s has a book with the easy to remember title The Awkward Thoughts of W. Kamau Bell: Tales of a 6' 4", African American, Heterosexual, Cisgender, Left-Leaning, Asthmatic, Black and Proud Blerd, Mama's Boy, Dad, and Stand-Up Comedian.

Kamau first comedy special, Semi-Prominent Negro, was directed by Morgan Spurlock and it premiered on Showtime. An album of the special was released by Kill Rock Stars. Kamau has hosted of three critically acclaimed podcasts: Denzel Washington is The Greatest Actor of All Time Period, Politically Re-Active, and Kamau Right Now! Kamau Right Now also aired live on NPR radio station KALW. Kamau is also known for being the host of the short-lived FX and FXX late night talk show, Totally Biased with W. Kamau Bell.

Kamau is proud to be the ACLU’s Ambassador of Racial Justice and to be a member of Hollaback's advisory board. Kamau has been nominated for multiple NAACP Image Awards, a GLAAD award, and he was featured on Conde Nast’s ‘Daring 25’ list for 2016. The SF Weekly called Kamau “smart, stylish, and very much in the mold of politically outspoken comedians like Dave Chappelle,” though he was mostly just excited that they called him “handsome."

Very Not Brief Bio

W. Kamau Bell is a sociopolitical comedian based in The People’s Republic of Berkeley, CA. Kamau is the host of the Emmy Award winning, CNN docu-series, United Shades of America with W. Kamau Bell.

Kamau is also proud to be the ACLU’s Ambassador of Racial Justice and to be on the advisory board of Hollaback, a non-profit movement to end street harassment.

The New York Times called Kamau “the most promising new talent in political comedy in many years,” and Salon.com listed Kamau on their “Sexiest Men of 2012” list, calling Totally Biased “surreptitiously revolutionary in its effortless diversity and humanism.” The New Yorker said, “Bell’s gimmick is intersectional progressivism: he treats racial, gay, and women’s issues as inseparable.” The San Francisco Chronicle raved, “it makes The Daily Show seem like something your dad watches.” In its brief time Totally Biased was nominated for both an NAACP Image Award and a GLAAD Award. Totally Biased was executive produced by Chris Rock, who became a fan after seeing a performance of Kamau’s one man show, ‘The W. Kamau Bell Curve: Ending Racism in About an Hour.’ Kamau still performs The W. Kamau Bell Curve at colleges across the country.

Kamau recently released his third comedy album, Semi-Prominent Negro, which is the audio from his Showtime comedy special of the same name. Kamau released two other standup comedy albums: One Night Only and Face Full of Flour. Kamau’s first book, The Awkward Thoughts of W. Kamau Bell: Tales of a 6' 4", African American, Heterosexual, Cisgender, Left-Leaning, Asthmatic, Black and Proud Blerd, Mama's Boy, Dad, and Stand-Up Comedian, came out in 2017. Kamau is also known for his critically acclaimed – and criminally short-lived – FX comedy series, Totally Biased with W. Kamau Bell.

Kamau has appeared on various Comedy Central programs including @midnight and John Oliver’s New York Stand-up Show. He has also appeared on HBO’s Real Time with Bill Maher, Chelsea, Conan, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, WTFwith Marc Maron, The Rachel Maddow Show, The View, Fresh Air with Terry Gross, The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, Henry Louis Gates Jr’sMany Rivers To Cross, Bullseye with Jesse Thorn, The Treatment with Elvis Mitchell, The Nerdist, and This American Life, among others. And yes, he will do your podcast if you ask him nicely and if he has the time.

His writing has appeared in the New York Times,VanityFair.com, Salon, MSNBC.com, Buzzfeed, and The Hollywood Reporter.

These days Kamau might be most excited about his budding podcast empire. Kamau is the host of Kamau Right Now!, a public radio talk show that airs on KALW in San Francisco. Kamau Right Now! is a live – and lively – talk show that Kamau has described as "a three ring circle of relevance". Kamau is also excited about his political podcast, Politically Re-Active, on which he and his co-host, friend and fellow comedian, Hari Kondabolu try to make sense of the nonsense. Kamau's labor of love is his podcast with his friend, comedian Kevin Avery, entitled Denzel Washington is The Greatest Actor of All Time Period. On the podcast, they are reviewing every Denzel Washington movie in (mostly) alphabetical order in hopes of proving… well, you read the name already. The podcast has featured interviews with guests including Spike Lee, Ava DuVernay, Ryan Coogler, India Arie, and many more. The podcast has been listed on Entertainment Weekly’s ‘Must List, ‘and it has been featured several times in the AV Club. Fast Company Magazine put Kevin and Kamau on their list of ‘Innovative Podcasters.’ Essence Magazine included DWITGAOATP on their list of ‘Top Ten Podcasts Every Black Woman Should Hear.’ All three of these shows are available every place that you find podcasts.

Praised by Punchline Magazine as “one of our nation’s most adept racial commentators with a blistering wit,” Kamau was voted San Francisco’s best comedian by the SF Weekly, the SF Bay Guardian, and 7×7 Magazine. Robin Williams called Kamau “ferociously funny,” and The New Yorker said, “Bell’s gimmick is intersectional progressivism: he treats racial, gay, and women’s issues as inseparable.” The SF Weekly called Kamau “smart, stylish, and very much in the mold of politically outspoken comedians like Dave Chappelle,” though he was more excited that they called him “handsome.”

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